This Buzz for You: Adrien Reju, Lucky Ones

Written by Kim
Friday, 24 August 2012

I'll never forget the first time I heard Adrien Reju sing, just her and her guitar, on a Friday in May 2008 at the Tin Angel in Philadelphia. The first notes of "Seasons," a song from The Lowlands Bark & Twine album, came out and I smiled one of the biggest smiles I can smile, simply blown away by the depth and strength of a voice I knew I wouldn't forget. Out of all the shows I've seen (and heard) since that night four years and a bit ago, I really can't remember being as struck hearing someone live for the first time as I was then.

If you've not yet heard Adrien and need your first listen of her music, you should very much explore her latest EP, Lucky Ones, released August 15th. In some respects, Lucky Ones is a bit of a departure in sound, more pop than either her debut EP Reju or her full-length album A Million Hearts, thanks to a greater variety of instruments behind her and a heavier sound on drums and bass lines. Though a departure from what longtime listeners would expect, Lucky Ones shows evolution and growth, and doesn't fall into the trap of overproduction and kitsch when trying to make something new within a genre of many voices that sometimes all sound the same. On songs like EP's opening track "All to Myself" or "Good Man" we hear a harder and edgier sounding Adrien Reju, but there's nothing displeasing about that and, perhaps more importantly, it doesn't sound out of place. Lucky Ones still has echoes of Adrien's earlier albums--"Crazy" and "The Lucky Ones" will sound familiar to those who enjoyed "Fire Away" and "Heartless" on A Million Hearts--but shows a fantastically gifted artist growing her style with a big, full voice that truly separates Adrien from a very crowded field of singer-songwriters.